UX, Bathrooms, and Mad Men

Article No :569 | October 18, 2010 | by Christine B. Whittemore

What comes to mind when you think about the 1960s? Politically incorrect cultural norms, awkward design elements, or clunky product experiences designed for the interests of big businesses instead of end users? Or do you just think of Don Draper with a glass of scotch?

Inspired by Mad Men, the Bathroom Blogfest community, consisting of over 30 bloggers focused on user, reader, customer, patient and other experiences, invites you to look back, compare and contrast, and highlight experience designs that are stuck in the '60s. The goal is create online conversation about the user experience and improve it.

Why bathrooms? Bathrooms are symbolic of purposely overlooked or unmentioned spaces that are ignored, forgotten, and not cared for. But at the same time, they are necessary.

Think of your own expectations. What are your minimum requirements for cleanliness and efficiency from public bathrooms in museums, gas stations, restaurants, hospitals, and retail stores? How do you react when those expectations are taken to new heights or dashed into the ditch? How have those experiences affected your perception of the establishments you patronize?

Although positive experiences exist, many simply disappoint. Beyond the physical and human inconvenience, the lack of bathroom attention communicates negative messages to those very people whom we are trying to impress. Blatant disrespect, disregard for details and unwillingness to even attempt to understand what matters to customers don’t build long-term relationships!

About the Author(s)

Christine B. [C.B.] Whittemore, chief organization & inspiration officer for the yearly Bathroom Blogfest, is also chief simplifier of Simple Marketing Now LLC, a marketing communications consultancy. She has been immersed socially and digitally since 2006 when she launched her first blog, Flooring The Consumer, about the customer retail experience. She blogs about social media & content marketing on Simple Marketing Blog. Christine obtained an MBA in Marketing from Columbia Business School and a BA in Art History from Smith College. Follow her on Twitter at @cbwhittemore.

Comments

Mr lee

August 20, 2016

Got the best <a href="http://clevelandbathroomcontractor.com/">click here</a> fixed in my bathroom which I was looking for almost a decade and believe me I am not disappointed a bit! Great Work! Five Stars!

I heard that in one of the firsts missions to the space, the NASA engeneer team did not put a bathroom in the ship and about one hour before the land off, the astronaut peed the space dress because there were no time to go to the bathroom in the control tower.

I heard that in one of the firsts missions to the space, the NASA engeneer team did not put a bathroom in the ship and about one hour before the land off, the astronaut peed the space dress because there were no time to go to the bathroom in the control tower.